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Forums - Gaming - Why isn't enemy AI more realistic?

VAMatt on 14 December 2021
padib said:
VAMatt said:

It seem like the consensus is that gamers like stupid AI. That makes sense. I'd still think that there's room in the market for at least some games with smarter enemies. But, maybe not.

There certainly is room for novel ideas, but only if they are executed carefully. A true stealth game with proper, believable AI is as much a selling-point as realistic graphics or top-notch physics.

It's not because stupid AI works today that it always will be defacto. At some point someone will break ground and things will change. It will be an important generational leap when it does happen.

Someone brought up TLOU PII, it seems like a good example of good AI. What did you think of it?

I don't have any specific memories of the AI in TLOU2. Maybe I'll go back and check it out sometime soon. I will say that the fact that I don't have any specific memories of it tells me that it must not be anything too amazing.   I thought I paid a lot of attention in that game, as it was wowing me left and right. Or, maybe I was too busy admiring the graphics to think about the AI.



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Azzanation on 14 December 2021

I still think Perfect Dark is the best when it comes to enemy AI. They weren't perfect by any means but the amount of options an NPC has is incredibly long and you can just never predict what they will do. So many examples of an enemy reacting to your presence to shooting guns out of their own hands and seeing if they will surrender or try to shoot you in the back. Shooting out the lights leaving them confused in pitch darkness or turning on the lights if they were using night vision to blind them. You could shoot them in the leg and watch them move around the entire map limping. The AI was just insane.

I think Halo has a very good balance of AI. They can be either laughably funny or super dangerous depending on your situation. Some times Grunts run away and other times they stick you with a grenade when you weren't expecting it. The Elites act more like a Player where they will take cover, ambush you or jump out of the way of explosions. Also Infinite you will see them attempt grabbing new weapons if they see an upgrade.

I wish more games focus on AI however i can also understand that making AI too smart will deplete the fun factor especially in games where AI have access to Sniper rifles.



d21lewis on 15 December 2021
twintail said:
VAMatt said:

I don't have any specific memories of the AI in TLOU2. Maybe I'll go back and check it out sometime soon. I will say that the fact that I don't have any specific memories of it tells me that it must not be anything too amazing.   I thought I paid a lot of attention in that game, as it was wowing me left and right. Or, maybe I was too busy admiring the graphics to think about the AI.

Maybe it's difficulty dependent, but playing on Survivor the AI is practically FEAR 2.0.

There's a lot of great things they do, even when just doing normal patrolling outside of combat. They'll call to one another to check in, and if someone is missing they'll investigate. In groups larger than 2, one of them will stay back and provide cover from a distance. When patrolling they don't just look forward, and will consistently always glance back or around while walking making stealth options even more difficult.

In combat they'll hide, they'll call out your position or for general help if you've caught them by surprise. The AI attempts to flank you in groups ensuring you have no escape route (if positioning for this is possible), and these flanking attempts can range from defensive to very aggressive. Very rarely is any enemy positioned in 1 place, or glued to specific locations. 

Even little things like calling out dead enemies they didn't know about, or even calling out the names of enemies that die in front of them just adds an extra level to the AI's believability.

Of course, because of how intricate the encounter layouts can be, there are odd times when the AI appears less intelligent. But these have been far and few in my playthough.

Honestly, I can't think of another game that even remotely has AI as satisfying as TloU2. Almost every encounter feels tense because of how they can react. 

I'm with you on that. People can complain about TLoU2's story all they want (I mostly enjoyed it!) but in my roughly 40 years of gaming, I can't recall any AI that walked the line between "Damn, these motherfuckers are smart!" and "I'm actually not frustrated." better than that game.

I hear Metal Gear Solid 5 has great AI but I didn't get that far into the game before quitting in disgust. I'll give it a second chance one day...



Player2 on 15 December 2021
TruckOSaurus said:

Good AI is frustrating to play against. My favorite Metal Gear Solid game is the first one and the fact the enemies are dumb as fuck plays a big role in that.

In stealth games guards are better when they fall for shiny, tempting things.